The Military History of Carthage
Carthage has been involved in many wars over its history, from the enigmatic Punic Wars with Rome to Cold War brush fire conflicts. Wars: 600 BC-410 AD The Greek-Punic Wars The Greek-Punic wars or, less properly, Sicilian Wars, were a series of conflicts fought betweenCarthaginians and the Greeks headed by Syracusans, over control of Sicily and western Mediterranean between the years 600 to 289 BC. They were the longest wars of antiquity and fought more for control of trade and territory and ambitious tyrants looking to expand their domain rather than a "clash of civilization" being fought to impose cultural and religious dominance. Greek culture survived in Carthaginian areas (even flourishing in Carthage itself) during the wars, and Greeks tolerated Carthaginians in their cities with total religious freedom. The First Punic War The First Punic War (264 to 241 BC) was the first of three major wars fought between the Empire of Carthage and the Roman Republic. For 23 years, the two powers struggled for supremacy in the westernMediterranean Sea. Carthage, located in what is today Tunisia, was the dominant Western Mediterranean power at the beginning of the conflicts. Eventually, Rome emerged the victor, imposing strict treaty conditions and heavy financial penalties against Carthage. |- ! colspan="2" style="text-align: center; background-image: url(https://ssl.gstatic.com/sites/p/2fa342/system/app/themes/solitudeolive/bg_pattern.gif); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgb(176, 196, 222); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); vertical-align: middle; padding-top: 3px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: repeat repeat; "|Belligerents |- | style="vertical-align: top; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 4px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 4px; width: 149px; border-right-width: 1px; border-right-style: dotted; border-right-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); "|Roman Republic | style="vertical-align: top; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 4px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 0.25em; width: 148px; "|Empire of Carthage |- ! colspan="2" style="text-align: center; background-image: url(https://ssl.gstatic.com/sites/p/2fa342/system/app/themes/solitudeolive/bg_pattern.gif); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgb(176, 196, 222); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); vertical-align: middle; padding-top: 3px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: repeat repeat; "|Commanders |- | style="vertical-align: top; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 4px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 4px; width: 149px; border-right-width: 1px; border-right-style: dotted; border-right-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); "|Marcus Atilius Regulus Gaius Lutatius Catulus Gaius Duilius | style="vertical-align: top; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 4px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 0.25em; width: 148px; "|Hamilcar Barca Hanno the Great Hasdrubal Xanthippus |} The Mercenary War The Mercenary War (c.240 BC) — also called the Libyan War and the Truceless War by Polybius — was an uprising of mercenary armies formerly employed by Carthage, backed by Libyan settlements revolting against Carthaginian control. The war began as a dispute over the payment of money owed the mercenaries between the mercenary armies who fought the First Punic War on Carthage's behalf, and a destitute Carthage, which had lost most of its wealth due to the indemnities imposed by Rome as part of the peace treaty. The dispute grew until the mercenaries seized Tunis by force of arms, and directly threatened Carthage, which then capitulated to the mercenaries' demands. The conflict would have ended there, had not two of the mercenary commanders, Spendius and Mathos, persuaded the Libyan conscripts in the army to accept their leadership, and then convinced them that Carthage would exact vengeance for their part in the revolt once the foreign mercenaries were paid and sent home. They also persuaded the combined mercenary armies to revolt against Carthage, and various Libyan towns and cities to back the revolt. What had been a hotly contested "labour dispute" exploded into a full-scale revolt. Heavily outmatched in terms of troops, money, and supplies, an unprepared Carthage fared poorly in the initial engagements of the war, especially under the generalship of Hanno the Great. Hamilcar Barca, general from the campaigns in Sicily, was given supreme command, and eventually defeated the rebels in 237 BC. |- ! colspan="2" style="text-align: center; background-image: url(https://ssl.gstatic.com/sites/p/2fa342/system/app/themes/solitudeolive/bg_pattern.gif); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgb(176, 196, 222); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); vertical-align: middle; padding-top: 3px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: repeat repeat; "|Belligerents |- | style="vertical-align: top; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 4px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 4px; width: 118px; border-right-width: 1px; border-right-style: dotted; border-right-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); "|Carthage | style="vertical-align: top; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 4px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 0.25em; width: 179px; "|Carthage's mercenary army of the First Punic War. |- ! colspan="2" style="text-align: center; background-image: url(https://ssl.gstatic.com/sites/p/2fa342/system/app/themes/solitudeolive/bg_pattern.gif); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgb(176, 196, 222); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); vertical-align: middle; padding-top: 3px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: repeat repeat; "|Commanders |- | style="vertical-align: top; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 4px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 4px; width: 118px; border-right-width: 1px; border-right-style: dotted; border-right-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); "|Hanno the Great,Hamilcar Barca,Hannibal†*,Naravas | style="vertical-align: top; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 4px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 0.25em; width: 179px; "|Spendius†,Mathos†**,Autaritus†,Naravas,Zarzas†. |- ! colspan="2" style="text-align: center; background-image: url(https://ssl.gstatic.com/sites/p/2fa342/system/app/themes/solitudeolive/bg_pattern.gif); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgb(176, 196, 222); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); vertical-align: middle; padding-top: 3px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: repeat repeat; "|Strength |- | style="vertical-align: top; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 4px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 4px; width: 118px; border-right-width: 1px; border-right-style: dotted; border-right-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); "|Unknown. | style="vertical-align: top; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 4px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 0.25em; width: 179px; "|90,000-100,000. 20,000 mercenaries transported from Sicily and assaulted Tunis. A further mention of "about 70,000 Libyans" later in the war. Naravas' Numidians stated at "about 2,000". |- ! colspan="2" style="text-align: center; background-image: url(https://ssl.gstatic.com/sites/p/2fa342/system/app/themes/solitudeolive/bg_pattern.gif); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgb(176, 196, 222); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); vertical-align: middle; padding-top: 3px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: repeat repeat; "|Casualties and losses |- | style="vertical-align: top; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 4px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 4px; width: 118px; border-right-width: 1px; border-right-style: dotted; border-right-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); "|Unknown | style="vertical-align: top; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 4px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 0.25em; width: 179px; "|High. Some 50,000 were reported killed at the Battle of "The Saw" alone. Some defected to the Carthaginians. |- | colspan="2" style="vertical-align: top; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 4px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 4px; font-size: 10px; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); "|* Not Hannibal Barca, but an unrelated general of the same name. **Presumed executed. His death is not explicitly mentioned in the sources, but his capture and torture are. |} The Second Punic War The Second Punic War, also referred to as The Hannibalic War and (by the Romans) The War Against Hannibal, lasted from 218 to 213 BC and involved combatants in the western and eastern Mediterranean. This was the second major war between Carthage and the Roman Republic, with the participation of theBerbers on Carthage's side. The two states had three major conflicts against each other over the courses of their existences. The war is marked by Hannibal's surprising overland journey and his costly crossing of the Alps, followed by his reinforcement by Gaulish allies and crushing victories over Roman armies in the battle of the Trebiaand the giant ambush at Trasimene. Against his skill on the battlefield the Romans deployed the Fabian strategy. But because of the increasing unpopularity of this approach, the Romans resorted to a further major field battle. The result was the Roman defeat at Cannae. In consequence many Roman allies went over to Carthage, and Hannibal forced A Roman surrender and tribute. Despite having achieved victory, it did not look as if the Romans had any intention of letting him linger in Italy. The Romans began to regroup, and having already lost most of his troops Hannibal withdrew back to Carthage to secure his authority there, as Carthaginian leaders were plotting against him. The war slows down for several years as Carthage contains a Numidian Rebellion and Rome defeats Macedon. Then in 210, the Scipio brothers become consuls of Rome and take the offensive against Carthage, recognizing that the the enemy is weakened. They strike Iberia winning the key battle at Ilipa which forced the Carthaginians to withdraw from Italy and transfer their forces west, abandoning their allies. This brought the war to a close and in a few months both sides recognized and unspoken truce and both sides focused on rebuilding. Hannibal and the Barcas fell out of favor in Carthage and the general fled to Asia Minor in 195 after he learned that he was to be handed over to the Romans by the Carthaginian government. |- ! colspan="2" style="text-align: center; background-image: url(https://ssl.gstatic.com/sites/p/2fa342/system/app/themes/solitudeolive/bg_pattern.gif); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgb(176, 196, 222); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); vertical-align: middle; padding-top: 3px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: repeat repeat; "|Belligerents |- | style="vertical-align: top; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 4px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 4px; width: 149px; border-right-width: 1px; border-right-style: dotted; border-right-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); "|Roman Republic Aetolian League Pergamon Numidia | style="vertical-align: top; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 4px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 0.25em; width: 148px; "|Carthage Syracuse Macedon |- ! colspan="2" style="text-align: center; background-image: url(https://ssl.gstatic.com/sites/p/2fa342/system/app/themes/solitudeolive/bg_pattern.gif); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgb(176, 196, 222); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); vertical-align: middle; padding-top: 3px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: repeat repeat; "|Commanders |- | style="vertical-align: top; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 4px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 4px; width: 149px; border-right-width: 1px; border-right-style: dotted; border-right-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); "|Publius Cornelius Scipio†,Tiberius Sempronius LongusPublius Cornelius Scipio Africanus,Gaius Flaminius†,Fabius Maximus,Claudius Marcellus†,Lucius Aemilius Paullus†,Gaius Terentius Varro, Marcus Livius Salinator, Gaius Claudius Nero, Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus†, Masinissa, Marcus Minucius Rufus†, Gnaeus Servilius Geminus† | style="vertical-align: top; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 4px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 0.25em; width: 148px; "|Hannibal, son of Hamilcar Barca,Hasdrubal, son of Hamilcar Barca†,Mago, son of Hamilcar Barca†,Hasdrubal Gisco†,Syphax,Hanno the Elder†,Hasdrubal the Bald,Hampsicora†, Maharbal |} The Third Punic War The '''Third Punic War '''was the third and last of thePunic Wars fought between the former Phoenician colony of Carthage, and the Roman Republic. The wars against the Roman Empire would not be referred to as "Punic Wars" but as "Imperial Wars" to distinguish them from the earlier conflicts. This war was began as a result of the meteoric rise of the ambitious Roman general Pompey. After defeating the slave rebellion of Spartacus, Pompey and his ally Crassus were elected Consuls of Rome. Pompey then attacked Iberia in 70 BC and took control of most of the Carthaginian lands there. Carthage responded by sending a fleet under Maharbal of Oea to harry the Mediterranean. Maharbal enlisted the support of the numerous pirates who raided the seas and effectively cut off Rome's grain supply and the joint Punic-Pirate force seized control of Sicily. Pompey launched a failed campaign to stop the raids which succeeded in taking back Sicily in 67 BC but not in ending Carthaginian naval dominance. With Rome still hungry and his own position threatened Pompey attacked Asia Minor, quickly crushing the kingdoms of Pontus, Armenia, Syria, and Judaea. Returning from the east Pompey was more popular than ever. The war with Carthage died down as Pompey and Maharbal and Pompey began dealing with domestic situations. Maharbal assassinated his fellow Suffet, Hannibal Gisco while Pompey formed the "First Triumvirate" ruling Rome with Caesar and Crassus. After Caeasar defeated Vercingetorix the Gaul, Pompey began plotting against him. An infuriated Caesar invaded Italy in 49 BC, while Pomepy and his forces evacuated to Egypt. Caesar then allied himself with Maharbal who attacked Egypt, the Egyptians give up a massive tribute to avoid war, and Pomepy is assassinated. It seemed as if the war was over with Pompey's death, but it was not so. Caesar proved just as ambitious as Pomepy, and attacked New Carthage in 44 BC. He and 4,000 of his troops died of disease during the siege, finally ending the war. |- ! colspan="2" style="text-align: center; background-image: url(https://ssl.gstatic.com/sites/p/b8344b/system/app/themes/solitudeolive/bg_pattern.gif); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgb(176, 196, 222); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); vertical-align: middle; padding-top: 3px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: repeat repeat; "| |}